Ahead of tomorrow’s International Day of the Girl, children’s rights charity Plan International is lobbying the Government to target more of Ireland’s foreign aid budget at empowering young girls. "In a developing country, girls are the most excluded group of all and by focussing on getting girls into education and offering them an adult life beyond the domestic, they can effect enormous change in their own countries and communities,” 

But what is the reverse method of connecting cultures? Local 501c3 Cradle of Jazz Project (CoJP) has launched a new and innovative means of creating bridges between geographically distant people. With a mission of "illuminating the connections between West Africa and the Americas through music and education"

The Republic of Korea is building schools and medical centers for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Korean Ambassador to Ankara Mr. Yunsoo Cho said on Wednesday. [...] Ambassador Cho said that Korea has always been in solidarity with Turkey. He added that they will build four schools and six medical centers, with an aim to support Turkey's efforts to provide education and health services to over 3 million refugees.

The Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea, Chung Kwan-Joo, has said that Iran and South Korea plan to put their focus in 2017 on establishing mutual cultural centers. [...] He called his visit a good event, adding that several agreements have been signed between Iran and Korea in the cultural, educational and economic arenas. 

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras got a special gift from his Chinese hosts during his official visit to China in July: a two-wheeled bicycle. Explaining the symbolic value of the gift, Tsipras said that the bilateral relations are like a two-wheeled vehicle. "One wheel is economic cooperation and the other, cooperation in culture and education. We are the cyclists who will develop our two countries," said Tsipras.

Australia's former prime minister and the Work singer shared the spotlight in New York City on Saturday evening local time as part of the Global Citizen Festival. Their unlikely partnership is in aid of a new Global Citizen education initiative, which was officially launched at the concert after performances by Metallica, Chris Martin, Eddie Vedder, Kendrick Lamar and Bill Nye.

Skills, jobs, freedom of expression and more culture and history ' these are the responses that must be nurtured in the face of violent extremism that is threatening our shared humanity, stated UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova at an event organized by Albania, Jordan and the Holy See in the margins of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, on 20 September 2016.'

The Philippine Embassy in Doha marked a milestone in the field of cultural diplomacy with yesterday’s official opening of Sentro Rizal - a learning centre for Philippine arts and culture which is the second to be opened in the MENA region. [...] Hundreds of students from two Philippine schools in Qatar are set to benefit from the newly opened centre.